Sunday, January 30, 2011

Cassandra: For my second entry in the Darkisle series, I wanted to do something different—to challenge myself. I’d never done a ménage before, and I wanted to kick up the heat level a notch.The whole story came to me in a flash one day—plot, characters, everything. The story practically told itself! My task was simply to write it down!

TSR: What draws you to vampires?

Cassandra: They’re sexy, scary, and are essentially a whole different species. Yet their human core—shaped by historical forces modern people can never fully appreciate—remains, ready to be tapped by the right circumstances and people. They offer a bottomless treasure chest from which to draw stories.

TSR: What are some traits that your hero/heroine must have?

Cassandra: I like strong, feisty, sharp-tongued people of both genders. Yet their cores must be informed by compassion and they must have the capacity to love wildly, madly, and forever. In the case of vampires, that’s a long time.

TSR: What inspired Darkisle?

Cassandra: I wanted to do a Gothic romance with all the trappings—creepy house, gloomy and claustrophobic small town, people with lurid secrets and hidden, smoldering passions. Vampires seemed a natural extension of that atmosphere.

Being a huge, lifelong Dark Shadows fan didn’t hurt either.

TSR: Tell us about Love in the Shadows.

Cassandra: It’s a Yahoo loop I started for readers and authors to discuss and promo Gothic and paranormal books(e and print). I’m hoping to start some writing workshops in the loop this summer. I hope readers will join us!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/loveintheshadows/

TSR: When you’re not writing, what’s your favorite thing to do?

Cassandra: I’m into sculpting, doll-making, and collecting vintage action figures, especially Megos. I’m also partial to tinkering with computers, both PCs and Macs, though I don’t talk about that much for fear of being asked to fix everyone’s computer. Finally, I do a lot of animal charity work and rescue, rehabilitating and re-homing abused and abandoned cats and dogs. I’ve personally saved over 100 furbabies so far.

TSR: What’s next for you?

Cassandra: I’m working on a couple of science fiction e-romances right now. Captain Gareth’s Mates, the first one in the Terran Border Patrol series I’m planning, has just been released from Siren in December 2010. I’m also tinkering with a steampunk idea suggested to me by my fellow Siren author, Rachel Clark.

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